The Nuggets will know tonight who they’ll play in the first round. Today they found out when. If Denver is the sixth seed, it will open on Sunday at the Lakers, the third seed.

But if Denver is seventh, it will open on Saturday at No. 2 Oklahoma City, this all according to an NBA press release.

If the Nuggets (37-28) win tonight’s regular-season finale at Minnesota, they will be the No. 6 seed — and will play the Lakers in the first round, arguably a more enticing opponent than the second-seeded Thunder.

If the Nuggets lose tonight, they still have a shot at the No. 6 seed. Dallas plays at Atlanta. If Dallas loses, Denver is the sixth seed. But if Denver loses and Dallas wins, the Mavericks are sixth, and the Nuggets are seventh.

The entire first-round playoff schedule will be released late tonight.

Say one thing about this shortened season in which you play most teams in the same division just three times: It takes the guesswork out of tiebreakers.

Win two, and you own it.

As such, the Nuggets’ loss to the Trail Blazers on Saturday night had sting beyond the final score. Portland earned the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, meaning the boys in powder blue are going to have to finish with a superior record in order to get the higher playoff slot should they be tied at the end of the season. Portland’s win pushed it to 2-0 against the Nuggets so far with the third, and final, game in the season series set for Feb. 29 at the Pepsi Center.

In a division with the team with the best record in the NBA – Oklahoma City – it’s a fairly serious development, yes, even this early in the season.

Should OKC continue to be dominant all season long, Denver, Portland and Utah are all playing for second in the Northwest Division. If the Nuggets and Portland are the two that finish second and are tied, the higher spot goes to the Trail Blazers. If those records put them in the top four of the conference, which carries home court advantage in the first round, the Nuggets fall to fifth.

For a Nuggets team that will rely on a good matchup for its greatest chance to advance in the playoffs, it is a bit of a worrisome development.

Now, there is more pressure to perform above and beyond its division competition. The Nuggets are tied in the season series against Utah, with the third matchup coming in Utah on March 23. The Nuggets have not played Oklahoma City yet, but that changes on Feb. 19 with the first of three games against the Thunder. Two of those three games are in Oklahoma City.

Minnesota is the only team in the Northwest division the Nuggets play four times. Everyone in the division is looking to feast on the Timberwolves, but that won’t be easy. Minnesota sports a young, talented roster with one of the NBA’s best coaches in Rick Adelman. They are .500 and far from a pushover.

The Nuggets were on the right side of a tiebreaker in the 2009-2010 season when they finished with the same record (53-29) as Utah. The Nuggets had gone 3-1 against the Jazz during the regular season, breaking the tie, so they ended up with the division title and the No. 4 seed. Ultimately, it did not help as the Jazz won the series, but there is no doubt getting home court was important then and will be important now.

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

This could be the storyline of storylines – Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks fall apart in the 2006 Finals against Miami, and after years of setbacks, Dirk is back in the Finals looking for redemption … against Miami. And to do so, all he has to do is just knock off a team with LeBron and D-Wade.

It’s going to be a fun Finals. Dallas’ Dirk, of course, has been the story of this postseason. He averages 28.4 points per game and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting and incredible 59-for-61 from the foul line in the conference finals against Oklahoma City (in that series, he put up two nights in the 40-point range, including the historic Game 1, when he Dirked his way to 48 points on 12-for-15 shooting and 24-for-24 shooting from the foul line.

Rick Carlisle (and fans) complain about a call in the first half against the Thunder in Game 5.

In so many ways Dirk Nowitzki has played the fisherman in these playoffs, looking to hook fans and critics’ hearts while also desperately trying to net a championship ring.

He’s 1-for-2 so far.

The residue from a failed attempt at a title in 2006 is washed away now. In fact, the Mavericks’ star has been cleansed so thoroughly from that collapse that we can now clearly see Nowitzki for what he’s always been – one of the NBA’s greatest players. A native of Germany, he’s almost certainly the greatest import ever to play in the league.

And yet, as he continues to win over the fans that turned their backs on him five years ago, there is another, maybe greater resurrection story on the Mavericks’ roster – that of their coach, Rick Carlisle.

Bulls guard Derrick Rose shoots over the outstretched arm of Heat guard Dwyane Wade in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Slowly, yet pointedly, we’re being told one thing by the results in these NBA playoffs – trust your eyes. They will lead you everywhere you need to go.

The playoffs have been a referendum on the notion of the benefit of the doubt. Nearly everything we knew, or thought we knew, about what to expect has been thrown out of the window. In its place we have Oklahoma City, Dallas, Chicago and Miami. One upstart, one thought to be has-been, one one-man defensive surprise and, well, the Heat.

It’s an unconventional Final Four in an NBA postseason that has bucked the trend.

After the Nuggets made their big trade, they only lost seven games – and after the Thunder made its big trade (for Kendrick Perkins), OKC only lost six games. Of course, the Thunder defeated Denver, its Northwest Division foe, in the first round of the playoffs … and now the Thunder faces Dallas for a chance to (I can’t believe I’m typing this) go to the NBA Finals.

Right after the season ended, Nuggets coach George Karl said: “We are very close to being as good or better than OKC. We have to wait a long time before we can prove that – it’s going to be a year before we even say that.”

But for now, OKC is in the national spotlight, beginning tonight up I-35 in Dallas for Game 1.

Back in September, before this wackiest of NBA seasons even began, word came out that Chicago wouldn’t include Joakim Noah in a trade for Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony.

At the time, some around basketball wondered why the Bulls wouldn’t trade Noah, Luol Deng, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant to acquire the all-star Melo. But the Bulls knew what they had – Derrick Rose was their Melo, in the sense that he was their No. 1 scoring option superstar who can take over a game. To win in the East, Chicago felt it needed the low-post force of Noah, complemented by newly acquired free agent Carlos Boozer.

And, of course, Chicago didn’t make the trade and is now up 1-0 against mighty Miami in the Eastern Conference finals.

Many aren’t, across the board. And most people hated the NCAA title game. It wasn’t pretty, no doubt about that, but I loved UConn rising and showing some grit on defense against Butler. Call me a glutton for punishment.

And, surprise! The NBA playoffs resemble that college defensive slugfest right now, you know, without #thebutlerway of shooting really polluting the waters. We all love offense, and we’re calling this one of the most entertaining NBA playoffs ever but – poof! – just two teams are averaging over 100 points per game this postseason.

It helps those two teams are playing each other right now – Memphis and Oklahoma City – and it helps they played a triple overtime thriller in Game 4, which was truly compelling television. It also helps offset the knock down, drag-out bouts in the Eastern Conference, although almost no one is calling those series boring even though none of the quartet of Boston, Miami, Chicago and Atlanta is averaging more than 95 points a game.

You loved defense. Yes, you did. You just didn’t know it.

It also means this: Too much defense was never the real problem. Star power was. These playoffs are stuffed with interesting players and teams, and no matter what the scores wind up being these games will remain must-see TV.

As a Lakers fan I can’t help but be blown away by the Nuggets’ depth. They are by far the deepest and most talented team in the entire league. I envy your frontcourt… especially Mozgov and Koufos. Big Al was a huge upgrade at the three spot over Melo. I can’t believe you guys are down two games. As long as Mozgov is 100 percent you guys are set to make a comeback.—Kevin, Denver

Kevin, good to hear from you. Nice game for your Lakers last night. I was watching while on a Frontier flight during the game, and I was so stunned by Kobe’s first dunk, I think I woke the woman next to me.

Indeed the Nuggets have amazing depth. They don’t have any all-stars, but they have talent two-deep at every position. And George Karl has repeatedly said that Mozzy Mozbourne can be a quality starter in this league, if he continues to develop.

The one problem with having so much depth – and not having them for a full season – is that Karl is still trying to find the right groupings of players. He has struggled matching guys at key times this series. But, at least, he hasn’t given extended minutes to guys who were flailing, such as Game 2 with J.R. Smith or Game 4 with Wilson Chandler.

Tonight will be very, very interesting. I’ll be tweeting from the game : @nuggetsnews

At least for one day, the weight of scrutiny and pressure to make real adjustments fell on Oklahoma City’s shoulders.

Media packed their practice facility in Edmond, Okla., looking for answers on how the Thunder plans to grab momentum back – and the series, as a result.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets slipped into town this afternoon with little to no fanfare. Media did not pack their availability period at the team’s hotel. Players sat through a 30-minute film session then dispersed to their rooms for the night.

Things are better around Nuggets camp after their Game 4 win over Oklahoma City. Spirits are up, adjustments are down. The team is ready to take on the challenge of trying to extend the series tomorrow night.

“The mood is good right now,” guard Ty Lawson said. “We got the monkey off of our back and put it on theirs. So we’ll try to put a little pressure on them and get a game here, and go back home.”

After Monday’s Game 4 win, Kenyon Martin said of Russell Westbrook, “If he can get 30 up, miss 18 … we’ll take that any day.”

There aren’t very many problems with having superstars on your team, but if there’s one, it’s that most superstars will always try to shoot themselves out of slump. And in Game 4, the Thunder’s Westbrook scored 30 points, but did so by taking the aforementioned 30 shots. That’s a lot. He finished 12-for-30 from the field in the 104-101 Nuggets win, missing ALL seven 3-point attempts.

Westbrook had just five assists on the night, countered by three turnovers, and shot an airball 3 during one of the Thunder’s key possessions down the stretch – with 7.9 seconds left.

Give the Nuggets credit for playing good D on Westbrook, who seemed visibly rattled.

Now, Westbrook is a competitor and an angry, fiery dude on the court. He also feeds off the home crowd, as we saw in the first two games, notably the opener, when he poured in 31 points (on 23 shots). So it will be fascinating to watch how the Nuggets defend him in Game 5 on Wednesday, be it with Arron Afflalo, Ty Lawson, double-teams, etc.

Sports writers discover early on in their career that becoming a fan of a team is a no-no. It zaps your objectivity. It drains your sanity.

Still, I’d just as soon the Thunder is finished with these guys as quickly as possible.
The Nuggets’ whining is wearing me slick.

Even though Denver delayed the inevitable with a 104-101 victory Monday night, it’s only a matter of time before Oklahoma City closes out this series. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit, and the Nuggets aren’t going to become the first.

But if the Thunder would just go ahead and take care of them Wednesday night, it’d be all right by me. What about you, Thunder fans?

The excuses that have been coming from the boys in baby blue have been as plentiful as crisp spring days in the Mile High City. They started in the opening game of the series, and they haven’t stopped since.

Russell Westbrook, for all of the great things he brings to the basketball court, is not known as a 3-point marksman. During the regular season he hit just 33 percent of them, which is average at best. Furthermore, he only averaged 1.3 3-point attempts per game. He did hit one single 3-point shoot in four games against the Nuggets in the regular season.

That has flipped entirely in the playoffs. Westbrook hasn’t morphed into Ray Allen, but he’s nailed 6-of-13 shots from 3-point range in this series. He hit three in both the first and second games of the series, before the Nuggets got semi-control of him at the arc in Game 3, where Westbrook missed all three of his attempts. Still, it’s been a thorn in the Nuggets’ side given the fact that it altered how they wanted to defend him, which in turn alters everything that happens around that. For Oklahoma City it has been an unexpected boon to its offense, which has stretched the Nuggets defense thin all series long.

Perhaps no Nugget embodies the desperation-laced-with-pride thought process of the Nuggets more than guard Arron Afflalo. Certainly few, if any, have articulated the Nuggets’ plight and their willingness to scrap and claw to the very end better than Afflalo has.

He’s become the team’s unofficial spokesperson in the last couple of days; standing up every time and answering hard questions even when his frustration and anger was at its peak. Afflalo talked about what the Nuggets need to do in tonight’s Game 4. And it’s simple.

Kenyon Martin, right, and Al Harrington, left, have a laugh with one another sparring at the end of practice Friday afternoon at Pepsi Center.

To understand why the Nuggets are losing, you must first understand why they were winning.

Because those two things, as the Nuggets stare at having to win four of the next five games to take the series against the Thunder, are related.

Following the February trade of star Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets were most improved in these four categories –- rebounding, points off turnovers, fast break points, and pick-and-roll effectiveness. They rode a fast-paced, scramble-style of basketball to an 18-7 record after the All-Star break.

That style, however, is the most difficult to duplicate in the playoffs, when teams take great care of the basketball and force half court execution. In this series the Nuggets have been beaten soundly in their favorite things, which is causing them major problems as they look forward to Saturday’s Game 3.

Here are the four things the Nuggets must fix to survive in the series vs. OKC:

After Friday’s practice, George Karl explained that in the playoffs, he can’t make everybody happy. He said he kind of likes that guys such as J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen are angry about minutes, because it shows how passionate they are to play.

As for managing minutes in Game 3 – which will be even harder with the return of starter Arron Afflalo – Karl broke it all down:

“I must admit there are more options than I’ve ever had. I don’t ever remember coaching with 10 players that deserved to finish a game in my mind. Usually an 82-game season builds your rhythm and confidence and how you orchestrate that. I think it’s a strength more than a weakness.

“Handling the ego after the game, the management of the attitude in the days off from games, we’ve been doing that. We’ve had emotional reactions to many situations, that have supposedly given us trouble.

The new Nuggets did so well after the Melo trade because all of a sudden they were the deepest team in the NBA. They can go two-deep at every position, like a constant wave. But then the playoffs started, and George Karl shortened the bench to like seven guys? What’s up with that? Why not bombard OKC like they did down the stretch?—Jarboe, Denver

Jarboe- The playoffs are just a different animal than the regular season. In the regular season you have time to let players play through mistakes, you have time to let players play through shooting slumps and you have so many games in short spaces of time you need depth to distribute minutes to simply not wear them out. In the playoffs teams don’t have that luxury. Read more…

The Thunder's Nick Collison draws a charge by the Nuggets' Raymond Felton in Game 1.

As it heads west to the foot of the Rockies, the Thunder appears to be a confident team. Why not? It owns a 2-0 series lead against the Nuggets heading into Saturday night’s Game 3 at Pepsi Center.

Here’s a glance at what’s being written in the Oklahoman.

Beat writer John Rohde reports that the key to the series is the Thunder big men sticking to the game plan:

Oklahoma City power forward Nick Collison said the Thunder had the proper defensive game plan for Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, but from the opening tip – for some inexplicable reason – his team didn’t stick to that plan.

In Game 2, the plan stuck.

This is why Game 1 became a 107-103 survival and Game 2 was a 106-89 domination over the Nuggets inside Oklahoma City Arena.

Game 3 comes Saturday in Denver, and Collison sees no reason to change any X or O. The plan is simply a matter of doing what’s right and doing it early.

The Presti Plan. We heard about it when this team was in Seattle, we heard about it incessantly when this team moved to town and we heard about it when the Thunder stunk.

We don’t hear about it so much anymore. But we should. The Thunder has been, with Miami and Dallas, the most impressive team in these NBA playoffs. The Thunder leads its series against Denver 2-0, and what we see is the Presti Plan bearing bountiful fruit.

J.R. Smith talks to reporters at the Pepsi Center on Thursday afternoon.

The Nuggets came in to Pepsi Center on Thursday but didn’t practice. Or even watch film. Coach George Karl just wanted to talk to the team, ask them to think about what they did wrong in the Game 2 loss and mentally rest before Friday’s practice (Game 3 is Saturday).

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.